Chiropractic care can be valuable to athletes and sports teams, from preventative care to acute injury treatment.
But many practices don’t understand how to market to athletes. Here’s a nine-step plan to market your chiropractic practice to this special population and generate a steady stream of patients.
No. 1: Know your target audience
In marketing to athletes, you can take one of two approaches. Consider targeting your efforts to a particular sport or activity. For example, if you live in a state like Colorado, you might focus on conditions related to skiing or snowboarding. Or, you can take a broader health and fitness approach if your community supports multiple types of sports.
This is a good idea in a community that has activities like football, basketball, swim meets, soccer, cycling, and marathons ongoing throughout the year. Once you know your audience, you can better tailor your approach to fit their needs.
No. 2: Hold lectures and educational events
Give presentations for select youth, high school, and college athletes as well as their coaches and parents. You can also present at local sports clubs and gyms. Talk about how to take care of injuries, work out smart, eat healthy, and improve athletic performance. After the session, hang around to answer questions. The people you talk to may not have an immediate need for your services, but you can be sure that they will remember you when they do.
No. 3: Get involved in local sports
If you have any local sports teams in your area (and you probably do), the easiest way to increase the number of athletes visiting your office is to get involved with them. Introduce yourself to the coaches. Give them your cell number so they can reach you quickly in the event of an injury to themselves or one of their athletes.
Attend team meetings, like preseason meetings where players and parents discuss team requirements. You’ll be seen as an expert and parents and players will look to you when an injury occurs.
Volunteer to be a team physician and stand on the sidelines at games. Not only will you be available to help with acute injuries, but athletes will refer their teammates, and you’ll gain exposure to parents and the broader community who attend the games.
No. 4: Offer preseason physical
Offering a free or discounted preseason physicals to athletes not only helps their parents’ pocketbooks but it introduces you to them so they will remember your practice when they need chiropractic care. If you opt to charge for the physical, you can offer to donate the proceeds back to the school’s athletic department to build even more goodwill.
No. 5: Form partnerships
Your practice doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Athletes who need chiropractic care may also need the services of physical therapists, athletic trainers, massage therapists, and orthopedic surgeons. Build relationships with these professionals so that when an athlete arrives in their office in need of a referral, your practice is top of mind.
No. 6: Use direct mail
Connect with local teams, clubs, and associations to get targeted mailing lists for your direct mail campaigns. You can create postcards, letters, brochures, and newsletters tailored to the sport and send to all on your list.
For example, if your goal is to bring in athletes from your local football team, you can create a postcard with graphics geared toward those athletes, such as a player throwing a pass with a headline, “Don’t let shoulder pain keep you on the sidelines.” Or if you hope to see more runners in your clinic, you could use a picture they would respond to like someone crossing the finish line with a headline like, “Don’t let foot pain put you at the back of the pack.”
No. 7: Spread the word
Create and post brochures and flyers at local gyms and fitness studios. Be sure that these are specific to the audience you’re targeting. You want people who read it to understand the benefits you can give them.
No. 8: Use your website
Post educational material on your website to provide athletes and parents with the information they are looking for. Offering free advice builds trust in your local community. Add
testimonials to your website as well. When patients read about someone like them who has benefitted from your care, they are more likely to come in.
No. 9: Leverage social media
Social media is a valuable tool your practice can’t afford to ignore—especially if your goal is to treat more athletes.
It allows you to connect to athletes faster and in unique ways not otherwise possible. You can share images, tips, and inspirational quotes. Regularly sharing useful information positions you as an expert at treating athletic injuries and keeps you as their first choice when they need care.
Marketing your chiropractic practice to athletes poses a unique set of challenges. Set yourself apart by high- lighting your services, your authority, and your brand. By following the nine steps above, you can customize your marketing efforts and see more athletes—along with higher revenue for your practice.
Adria Schmedthorst, DC, is an information-marketing specialist, strategist, and copywriter who is ready, able, and willing to help. She uses her background as a chiropractor to help clients create copy that sells. Get a free copy of her special report The Seven Deadly Sins That Sabotage Sales Copy at amscopy.com or email her at adria@amscopy.com.
